Republicans aren’t known for backing big public transportation projects, so when Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan visited Japan last June and took a ride on a high-speed magnetic levitation train outside Tokyo, supporters of a maglev line between Washington, D.C. and New York City were pleasantly surprised at the governor’s response. “It was an incredible experience, even more impressive than I expected,” said Hogan after experiencing top speeds of more than 300 mph. He then said Maryland would seek a $28 million federal grant to study a potential Washington-Baltimore line that would zip passengers between the two cities in 15 minutes. Now the company behind the push for maglev in the United States is stepping up its commitment. According to The Baltimore Sun, The Northeast Maglev (TNEM) just opened its new headquarters in downtown Baltimore. Read the rest of Republican governor embraces Northeast Maglev headquarters in Baltimore

Comments Off on PHOTOS: The most amazing Park(ing) Day 2015 parks from around the world

Happy Park(ing) Day everyone! This week we asked you to send in photos of the most amazing pop-up parks taking over parking spots near you – and today we’re publishing them for all the world to see. From San Francisco to Baltimore, Australia, Europe and beyond, click through our gallery to see all the fun ways people transformed bare patches of pavement into green urban oases. If you’d like to join in, there’s still time to contribute – send a photo to editor@inhabitat.com with a short description of the park and who created it and we’ll share it with our readers! You can also tag your Park(ing) Day photos with #Inhabitat on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter . Read the rest of PHOTOS: The most amazing Park(ing) Day 2015 parks from around the world

Miles from civilization, in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, two filmmakers took on a challenge so big, it was pretty much out of this world. Wylie Overstreet and Alex Gorosh headed into the desert with a minivan, a few friends, a ton of video equipment, and some lighted orbs in various sizes, corresponding to each of our most familiar planets. They built a scale model of our Solar System that spanned more than seven miles, and then filmed a time-lapse video to illustrate each planet’s orbit around the sun. The results are mind-blowing. Read the rest of Filmmakers build mind-blowing 7-mile scale Solar System model in Nevada Desert

Volkswagen was ordered to recall nearly 500,000 of its cars today after the EPA discovered that the German automaker was using software created to evade emissions testing. According to the EPA, the company has been breaking the law by using a device that can detect when a vehicle is being tested for emissions. The device turns on full emissions control systems only during the testing, giving what is essentially a false reading, which is not only illegal, but it seems awfully hypocritical for a company who likes to tout its commitment to the environment . Read the rest of VW forced to recall nearly 500,000 cars for circumventing smog emission standards

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization produced a new study that says the United States has the greatest potential for fish farming. While oceanic agriculture has become popular overseas, it still hasn’t taken hold in North America. In a recent interview with NPR , Michael Rubino , the director of aquaculture at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , said this could be because the industry faces heavy opposition from environmentalists and coastal residents, who aren’t willing to give up their unobstructed views. Read the rest of Indoor Fish Farms – America’s Next Big Green Industry? Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Baltimore , Bill Martin , Blue Ridge Aquaculture , controlled environment , fish farming , Food and Agriculture Organization , indoor fish farming , Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology , Martinsville , Michael Rubino , National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , NOAA , over fishing , seabream , seafood import industry , U.N